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Tailypo Returns
'Tailypo Returns' by Psychopasta Legend has it that deep in the thickest of forests in West Virginia lurks a frightening creature known only as the Tailypo. Folklore says it that it is a large cat-like creature with long, sharp claws, fangs like a vampire and a long thick tail. I remember being just a boy when I first heard this tale. We were camping in the woods when a neighbor, who every kid in the neighborhood called Uncle Ezekiel, got everyone a stick for marshmallows and then asked us if we wanted to hear a ghost story. Ezekiel was in his late 80s then, and he could spin a tale like no one else. So as our marshmallows turned golden brown we learned this mountain legend, hanging on his every detail. The Urban Legend It was a harsh winter in the Mountain State when a hermit living deep in the woods with his three dogs awoke with a loud grumbling in his belly. He was hungry and knew his dogs were hungry too. The cold temperatures and deep snow made fetching dinner difficult. He went out in the woods for several hours, but never saw a set of tracks or a critter stir. Downhearted and cold, he headed home empty handed. The old hermit stoked the fire, and sat down in a rickety old rocking chair to get warm. Just as his fingers began to thaw he heard a strange sound. Thinking it must be his hungry stomach he continued rubbing his hands over the fire. Again he heard the noise, but this time his dogs began to whimper. In the darkest corner of the cabin the man saw something dark with glowing eyes push its way up from the old floorboards. The creature stood on two feet like a man, had pointy ears, red glowing eyes and a long furry tail. Picking up a nearby hatchet the hermit lunged at the creature. Before he could reach it the creature crawled back under the house. But the hermit reached down, grabbed the creature’s tail and cut it clean off. The creature howled in pain and disappeared into the darkness. The hermit turned to his dogs, holding up his prize and said, “Look boys! Meat for the pot!” That wasn’t the end. Every night for nearly a week the creature would return to the forest outside the hermit’s cabin, and in an inhuman voice would cry “Tailypo, Tailypo… Where is my Tailypo?” On the second night of its return, the hermit sent his dogs out after the creature, but they never returned. Despite the fact that the creature kept returning, the hermit fell into an uneasy sleep. Just as the sun began to rise the hermit woke up to find the creature standing over his bed. Before he could gasp in fear, the Tailypo attacked the hermit by tearing him into shreds. To this day, hunters and hikers tell the tale of being deep in the woods as darkness approached. And in the not so far off distance, hearing something inhuman shrieking “Tailypo, Tailypo I got my Tailypo!” The Encounter This story is not directly related to me, but something similar happened to some friends of mine. I have known them all my life, and have no reason not to believe them. One night years later, while at my best friend’s house, four fellow companions showed up. Bored and looking for something to do, we suggested they visit the place where the incident happened in the story. This location was only a short drive from the house, (five or six miles since we live around the area), and was a local favorite amongst late night stories. I didn't want to go, since I had exams tomorrow at the community college. They agreed and they're soon driving out of sight. About six hours later, their vehicle returned to our drive way with only one occupant. Assuming he had taken the girls home, and that he was ready to party in West Virginia, we went out, anxious to see our friend. What we found as we got to his car was something I'll never forget. Brian's car was bent out of shape; the windshield was busted, the car doors had claw marks on them, and there was what appeared to be blood all over the hood. We immediately ran over to the driver’s door, to see if Brian was alright. However, Brian was just sitting there staring out the window, with a blank expression on his face. After several minutes of consistent badgering, we finally got him to talk. He said that he got it, he got the thing's tail. I looked in the backseat, and saw something that made my jaw drop to the ground. It was covered in black fur, and it was as long as an anaconda! He, Thomas, Katy, and Sabrina arrived at the cabin. They began to look around, trying to search inside the abandoned cabin. After about 15 minutes of not seeing anything, they decided to go deep into the woods and look for the creature themselves. What happened next was truly incredible, and if I hadn't of known Brian all my life, and seen the car, I would not have believed him. While walking in the woods, Brian said he got the feeling they were being watched. He immediately stopped and told everyone to be quiet. Looking around and evaluating the situation, he discovered what appeared to be two eyes staring at them off in the distance. These eyes seemed to be reflecting the moon light, and were of a color that he said to be indescribable. The girls panicked, and began to run back to the car. Brian was quick to grab the axe back at the cabin, and soon after he luckily chopped off the thing's tail, there was a horrible scream from the direction of the darkness in around him. He described it as almost being a cry from an intelligent animal. Too afraid to turn around, he grabbed the severed tail and picked up the pace as he ran to the car. When he got there, the girls were already in the car, screaming for him to get in and leave. As he was trying to find his keys, he heard what seemed to be the sounds of a child-sized animal running in their direction. Starting the car, he slammed it into gear and put it to the floor. Suddenly, a creature appeared in front of them. Too afraid to stop, Brian collided with the creature. It hit the front bumper and rolled around in the dirt. Looking in his rear view mirror, he said he thought the creature got up and continued to pursue them. After hearing this and seeing the condition of the car, Thomas and I immediately felt this deserved a second look. Brian told us he would never return to that cabin again, but if we wanted to risk our lives to go right ahead. Grabbing two flashlights, and a pair of shotguns (these were the biggest weapons Thomas' father had) we jumped in my pickup and made way for the cabin. As we drew closer, we slowed down and turned on the many off road lights my truck had. These lit the trees and hills as if it was daytime, giving us an outstanding view of the cabin as we approached. The first thing we noticed as the cabin drew near, were the numerous amounts of blood on the ground. However, these were the only signs of evidence we could find. Upon investigation of the woods by foot, (and shotguns) we discovered what seemed to be several tracks of a small animal leading to the cabin. After several hours of looking and not finding anything else, we returned to the house. By this time Brian had already found his way home, and we lay in bed, too excited to sleep. To this day, none of the four individuals involved in this story have returned to the cabin. Did Brian actually see and strike the creature from the story that night, or was it merely a morbid joke by some pranksters? All I know is that something was there that night, and it scared our friends half to death. Before I wrote this story I drove out into the mountains and went back to the cabin. I parked the car and took a few deep breaths. The front door was wide open, which was lucky for me. I gently pushed the door open and began to look inside. The interior was dingy and covered in a layer of dust. Cobwebs spread over various places that hadn't been used in quite some time. A musty smell filled the cabin and mixed with the odor of feces and urine from the rats that now made the place their home. It was nauseating to say the least. After I explored several different areas, I soon found the foreboding bedroom of the mysterious "hermit", who is now badly decomposed into a rotting skeleton. The room was dark and empty with a dirt floor and a dingy bulb. Said bulb had burned out long ago, so I didn't see anything. But all I heard was the buzzing of flies. The big, black ones that feast on and lay maggots in dead things. I could see faint, dry bloodstains on the ground and mostly on the bed, but I couldn't tell who or what the blood belonged to. There were also strange markings on the wall as well. I took a closer look and could've sworn they resembled claw marks of some sort. As I continued to examine the bedroom, I noticed various footprints in the dirt. Many were faded or had been trampled over one another. But, I could still make out a few. Most of them were the footprints of a man. They looked like the hermit had been trying to run away from something. There was one other distinct set of footprints that caught my attention. I examined them closely. I could definitely make out the distinctive foot pads, claws, and individual toes on at least one of the prints. This wasn't some person in a cheap costume. Some creature had been terrorizing local hunters and hikers. I had to let people know that the legend is true, and hope something like this never happens again. However, as I made my way out the cabin and to my car, there was one aspect about those footprints that made me uneasy. Since when do cats walk on two legs? Category:Animals Category:Psychopasta Category:Reality